


Heartstrings

by gaydemonium



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M, Malec, Malec Fluff, Walks In The Park, duck food isn't people food
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-22 00:04:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9572852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaydemonium/pseuds/gaydemonium
Summary: Magnus and Alec go for a walk and start talking about heartbreak. Short and sweet





	

The arrow that had been notched in Alec's bow for several seconds hit its target with a thump. Today's training regimen was simple: just hit the target. Because he was who he was, Alec stopped at nothing less than perfection. Each arrow hit the target right on the bullseye as he intended it to.

"Are we finished here? I'm hungry," Magnus complained.

"A couple more then I'm done," grumbled Alec. He was too immersed in his training to do much talking. Or much of anything, really.

Magnus groaned. He was seated on the sidelines of the training room for god knows how long. Normally he loved watching Alec train (especially when he was shirtless. The good lord knew Magnus loved it when his man was shirtless) and he loved watching the Shadowhunter's muscles bulge when he moved. It was otherworldly.

The final arrow hit the target and Alec set down his bow at last. "Sorry. Had to get a bit of target practice in. I'm getting rusty."

Magnus snorted. "Rusty? Alec, one of the arrows slit another arrow right in half. Robin Hood is rolling in his grave."

"Robin Hood is a myth. He's not real."

Magnus watched Alec as he put his bow away back in its usual spots on the wall of the training room. "Sometimes I look at you and think the same thing. 'My god this man isn't real' and then I have nearly pinch myself in order to-"

"Okay. I get it," Alec's voice was serious but he had a laughing smile on his face. "You don't have to go on and on. I get what you mean."

"I know. I can't help but brag about how beautiful you are, you know what I mean?"

They walked down the hall together towards the main control room. Shadowhunters crowded around computers and screens as they scanned the city and the surrounding areas for any demon activity. Usually Alec would be doing the same thing but he decided to rebel somewhat. Magnus had said that he doesn't take time for himself, so he was going to take this rare opportunity and do something for himself for a change.

"You didn't want to...you know...like...." Alec mentally slapped himself for not being able to form a coherent sentence.

But as usual, Magnus came to the rescue. He smirked as Alec tried to speak a full sentence. "Get out of here?"

"Yeah," Alec beamed. "Did you?"

Magnus looked around the crowded room and nodded. "That was actually going to be my next question. This place is getting much too crowded for my taste."

"I agree with you there. Let me just grab my jacket and we'll slip out when no one is looking."

"Sneaking out of the workplace without the boss knowing to meet with your secret boyfriend? Scandalous," Magnus grinned.

Alec rolled his eyes as he slipped on his jacket that he had left in the control room. "It's not scandalous because you're not exactly a secret. Everyone here knows we're dating."

"Oh I love it when you say it out loud. Gives me chills. Did I mention how beautiful you are today?"

Alec smiled crookedly. "Shut up. Let's go to the park. I could use a nice walk."

Central Park was Alec's favorite place in Manhatten. He's been here a few times with Izzy and Jace when they were younger, but not for recreational purposes or for sibling bonding. They'd been chasing down a goblin once who was drugging women behind bars and stealing their jewelry. It had come here where it's home was underground. They'd almost lost sight of him if it wasn't for Alec thinking fast and drawing a Luminance rune on an arrow shooting the goblin in the butt with it so they could follow it with ease in the dark. That was one of his best memories as a young Shadowhunter.

"I remember when this place used to be nothing but trees. It was like a forest here," Magnus touched the trunk of a tree as they walked by and a flower grew where his finger had touched the bark. "So much life. I mean there's life now but it felt different then. It felt more....real."

A cricket chirped somewhere in the grass. Alec's Shadowhunter senses almost made him reach for his seraph blade but he was calmed by Magnus' humming. "What was it like back then? Life, I mean."

Magnus turned to look at him. The moonlight shone overhead but it wasn't enough to cast a distinctive glow above them. The street lamp glowed like a message from above, making Magnus seem like he was sent from Heaven when he was actually a child of Hell.

"Life was simpler. None of this technology stuff. Didn't have to worry about global warming. Trump wasn't around so that's a definite plus," he grinned as Alec snorted. "But it wasn't the same without you. I know that sounds really corny but it's true. I lived a long and lonely life, Alec. Very lonely."

Alec kicked a rock that was in his path. "Are you lonely now?"

Magnus slipped his fingers through Alec's. "Not since I met you. The emptiness that used to be in my heart is gone. That space is filled with you now."

They sat down on a bench together by a small pond where two swans were slowly floating through the water together, necks entwined. Alec found this rather odd as he looked down at his hand, which was still holding Magnus'.

"Swans mate for life," Magnus suddenly said. "If one of them happens to die, the other has a high possibility of dying of heartbreak."

Alec grimaced. "That sounds kind of tragic. Is that even possible?"

Magnus nodded once. "You know when you get a fright sometimes you feel a tug in your chest? That's your heart contracting. It happens when you're under stress. Too much stress can cause the heart to contract to the point where the heartstrings snap. It causes instant death."

The swans were now swimming in a small circle around the pond. Alec wasn't sure which one was male or female but he could tell they were obviously in love by the way they stayed so close together. "Can humans die of heartbreak too?"

"Probably. Penguins are the same way. They mate for life. But I don't want that to happen to either of us. At least not right now."

The crickets went silent and Magnus had removed his hand from Alec's to reach into his pocket. He took out some breadcrumbs and handed some to Alec.

"Is this supposed to be a snack for us?" Alec cringed as he smelled the bread. It had a weird scent to it.

Magnus laughed. "It's not for us, silly. It's for them," he nodded towards the swans. "Have you ever fed the ducks before?"

"No. Jace is scared of ducks."

"Huh. Weird. Reminds me of someone I knew a long time ago. Anyway, you just throw some out to them and they'll swim over and eat it."

Alec looked out at the swans. "That's it? That's all you do?"

"That's it. And before you ask, there's no real purpose behind it. Some people do it so the ducks don't go hungry. Others do it because it's therapeutic. I do it because I know good things never last for very long."

Alec tossed his breadcrumbs out into the water where they landed with a splash. The swans swam over and gobbled it up quickly. "Do you think we're going to last long?"

Magnus glanced at him. "Hmm? What makes you ask that?"

"You said good things never last for very long. So either we're not a good thing or that we are and we aren't going to last long. So which is it?"

Magnus inhaled sharply. "I didn't mean it like that, Alec. I just meant that in my experience, when something good happens it's usually taken away from me too soon. I don't get to enjoy it while I have it."

The solemn expression on the warlock's face prompted Alec to take his hand again and squeeze it gently. "Hey. I'm still here, aren't I? I'm not going anywhere. We have a good thing going. Or at least I like to think so."

Magnus chuckled. "We really do, don't we? I mean look at us. A high warlock and a Shadowhunter out on a midnight stroll."

"No," Alec shook his head. "That's not what we are out here. When we're here, we're just boyfriends going on a walk together. No titles."

He then leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against Magnus', whose heart soared up to the moon and didn't come back until Alec pulled away, breathless from the kiss.

"Those swans don't have anything on us," he whispered, his eyes laughing and teasing.

Magnus roared with laughter which made the swans honk in annoyance. "No, they don't. But at least we don't eat food that's tossed to us by strangers. That much we can say we don't have on them."

"True," Alec looked down st the ground and smiled broadly. "We should be heading back to the institute. I mean I have to go back. You don't have to come. Unless you want to-"

"I'd like that. It sounds-"

"Scandalous?"

"I was going to say romantic but that works too," Magnus laughed as Alec rolled his eyes, and pulled Alec towards him so that their foreheads touched. "Maybe we will last forever after all, Alexander Lightwood."

Alec's hazel eyes sparkled as he smiled. "I wouldn't mind that."

Magnus smiled back, kissing Alec ever so lightly. "Neither would I."


End file.
